Multi-orificed electrical connector

ABSTRACT

A connector preferably for crimpable coupling of either bare or insulated flat conductive material such as the foil shield of shielded cable to further conductive material and comprising a base portion and a selectively formed arcuate portion arranged in spaced, opposing latchable relationship, which portions are provided, respectively, with, in one embodiment, piercing teeth on one of the opposing surfaces and pressure means in the form of protuberances on the other for urging the interposed conductive material against the piercing teeth as the connector is crimped thereabout. One or more latching tabs and their mating apertures are provided and selectively arranged for locking interengagement as the convexedly formed deformable arcuate portion is compressively flattened upon the crimping of the connector about the conductive material. Inwardly projecting deflectable protuberances may be provided on one or both of the connector portions for coupling a further conductor thereto.

United States Patent 91 [451 Apr. 17, 1973 Kuo [ MULTI-ORIFICED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR [75] Inventor: Lai Che Kuo, Fanwood, NJ.

[73] Assignee: 'lhomas & Betts Corporation,

Elizabeth, NJ.

[22] Filed: Oct. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 187,076

[52] U.S. Cl ..l74/84 C, 174/94 R, 339/97 C, 339/276 R [51] Int. Cl. ..l-l0lr 5/00 [58] Field of Search 174/78, 84 R, 84 C, 174/94 R; 339/95 R, 95 A, 97 R, 97 C, 276 R, 276 T [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,138,658 6/1964 Weimer, Jr. 174/84 C X 3,223,775 12/1965 Nugent ..l74/84 C 3,253,247 5/1966 Vos ....l74/78 UX 3,387,080 6/1968 Dibble et a]. ..174/94 R I, Primary Examiner-Bemard A. Gilheany Attorney-David Teschner and Jesse Woldman ABSTRACT A connector preferably for crimpable coupling of either bare or insulated flat conductive material such as the foil shield of shielded cable to further conductive material and comprising a base portion and a selectively formed arcuate portion arranged in spaced, opposing latchable relationship, which portions are provided, respectively, with, in one embodiment, piercing teeth on one of the opposing surfaces and pressure means in the form of protuberances on the other for urging the interposed conductive material against the piercing teeth as the connector is crimped thereabout. One or more latching tabs and their mating apertures are provided and selectively arranged for locking interengagement as the convexedly formed deformable arcuate portion is compressively flattened upon the crimping of the connector about the conductive material. lnwardly projecting deflectable protuberances may be provided on one or both of the connector portions for coupling a further conductor thereto.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 7 I973 3. 728.473

SHEEI1UF2 4 FIG. 2 42 1 6 6 ll PATENTEB APR 1 H973 SHEET 2 [IF 2 FIG; 4

FIG. 6"

MULTI-ORIF ICED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention The invention is directed to the field of connectors and principally to means for coupling to thin conductive material.

2. Description of the Prior Art Connectors for relatively thin conductive material, according to the prior art, and as exemplified, for example, in US. Pat. No. 3,247,316, issued to E. A. Weimer, Jr., and in US. Pat. No. 3,541,227, issued to JJ. Bendrick, were generally formedof substantially flat stock perforated to provide a plurality of lances for contacting and piercing the conductive material as the connector was crimped thereabout.- Although such connectors were generally designed for attachment to bare foil material, the inherent configuration of such connectors precluded their effective use for establishing a secure mechanical and electrical connection to insulated flat conductive material such asthe grounding foil now widely employed in many applications including, for example, the manufacture of sheathed cable, wherein a relatively heavy, resilient, layerof insulation is bonded to one surface of the foil material, thereby forming a dimensionally. unstable, springy interface between the connector and the foil which tends to force the overlying portions of suchprior art connectors apart, thereby seriously reducing themechanical and. electrical bond therebetween. Attempts to remedy this problem by removing the heavy insulation layer and attaching directly to. the foil material were generally unsuccessful due to the fragile nature of the conductive foil material when unprotected by the insulating layer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention overcomes the limitations and difficulties noted above with respect to suchprior art devices by providing a readily manufacturable, inexpensive, effective interlocking foil connector. conveniently and simply connectable to both uninsulated and insulated foil conductive material while providing a secure mechanical and electrical connection thereto. In one embodiment, the connector comprises,-. essentially, one or more interlocking pairs of latchingtabs and mating receiving apertures disposed generally adjacent the opposing free ends of a pair of preferably hingedly coupled opposingly positioned, spacedplanar members, one of which is selectively convexedly arched and readily deformable in such a manner as to cause increased engagement between a latching tab and its associated mating aperture as the connector members are crimped tightly about an insulated foil conductive material interposed therebetween. Pressure means which may be formed both as deflectable and nondeflectable protuberances extending from the arcuate member towards the opposing member coact to urge the foil conductive material against a plurality of piercing members overlying the adjacent opposing member surface. The deflectable protuberances may be ap propriately formed to provide a wire receiving portion for coupling a further conductor to the connector. One or more surfaces of the latching tabs may be suitably tapered to enhance the piercing of the intervening insulated foil conductor, and its engagement with a mating aperture, and may further include selectively disposed serrations thereon arranged to provide a scraping and biting surface. Additional deflectable protuberances may be provided on the connector portion opposing the arcuate portion to further increase the engagement between the connector and the foil conductor. One or more deformable extensions protruding outwardly from either or both connector portions may be provided for crimping or otherwise coupling additional wire conductors thereto. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved connector.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved connector for thin conductive material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an interlockable foil connector.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a connector for insulated thin conductive material.

It is still another object of this invention to provide means for conveniently coupling a ground wire to sheathed cable.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide meansfor establishing a secure mechanical and electrical connection to insulated thin conductive material.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a connector having mating tabs'and apertures arranged for locking intere'ngagement upon the closure of said connector about thin conductive material.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a connector having pressure means for urging thin conductive material against a plurality of selectively disposed piercing members upon the closure of said connector aboutsaid material.

Other objects and features of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode contemplated for carrying it out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partially in section of the connector of FIG. 1 showing a typical connection to both insulated thin conductive material and a stranded conductor.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a connector constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, in section of the connector of FIG. 3 showing a typical connection to both insulated thin conductive material and further wire conductors.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a further embodiment of a locking tab of a connector constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of further embodiments of a connector constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.

Similar elements are given similar reference characters in each of the respective drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a connector constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention. Connector 20 is formed preferably of electrically conductive material such as copper, brass, aluminum, and the alloys thereof and comprises, essentially, a partially folded structure arranged in such manner as to provide a base portion 22 hingedly coupled to a selectively formed arcuate portion 24 disposed in spaced opposing relationship thereto. Connector 20 may be formed from a single stamping or the like, substantially as shown, or may comprise suitably joined individual portions, each of which may be selected to provide a particular desirable characteristic. A plurality of piercing teeth 26 which may be lanced, skived, or otherwise formed from the base portion 22, or attached thereto, are selectively disposed on the base portion surface 28 and extend towards the opposing arcuate portion 24. A pair of selectively dimensioned apertures 30 extend transversely through the base portion 22 adjacent its free end 32, each being suitably arranged to receive therein a mating tab 34 positioned adjacent the free end 36 of the arcuate member 24. Each tab 34 and its associated mating aperture 30 coact to form an interengageable latch-like assembly as the arcuate portion 24 of connector 20 is urged towards the base portion 22. As may be more clearly seen in FIG. 2, the tab 34 is suitably tapered to enhance its entrance into and the piercing of the heavy insulation layer 38 and the underlying conductive material 40 of the insulated sheath 42 to which connector 20 is to be attached as the two connector portions 22 and 24 are crimped together. As the conductive material 40 is pierced through by the leading end of tab 34, a portion thereof is formed into a lip 44 which is tightly wedged between the tab 34 and the abutting adjacent surface 46 of aperture 30 as the selectively bowed arcuate portion 24 is flattened during the crimping operation. The resulting rubbing action of the tab 34 against the adjacent surface of the conductive material 40 tends to remove or otherwise dislodge any non-conducting or insulating layer disposed on such surface to effect an intimate metal-to-metal contact between the conductive material 40 and tab 34. To enhance the above-described effect, one or more surfaces of tab 34 may be suitably modified to provide a plurality of serrations or teeth 48 thereon, as shown, for example, in FIG. 5. The relative positions of tab 34 and its mating aperture 30 may, of course, be interchanged, as illustrated in FIG. 7, wherein tabs 50 are affixed to the connector base portion 52 adjacent its free end 54, and their mating apertures 56 are disposed adjacent the free end 58 of the connector arcuate portion 60. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the positional arrangements illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 1 and 7 are by no means limiting, and that other suitable arrangements may be conveniently employed therewith without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, further mating tabs and apertures similar to 34 and 30, respectively, may be disposed adjacent the edges 62, 62 of connector 20 either supplementary to the existing tabs and apertures, or in substitution therefor, where necessary or desirable. A plurality of substantially rigid finger-like protuberances 64 which may either be lanced, skived, or otherwise formed from the arcuate portion 24 or affixed thereto, and which may include more or less than the four shown, extend therefrom in such manner as to cause said protuberances 64 to be directed towards the opposing base portion piercing members 26 as said portions are urged together. As the connector base and arcuate portions 22, 24, respectively, are crimped about the interposed insulated conductive material 42, the protuburances 64 pierce through the insulation 38 and press firmly against the conductive material 40, causing said material to be forcibly impaled on the connector piercing members 26. Any tendency towards relaxation of the pressure so generated due to, for example, temperature cycling of the connection, or subsequent movement of the components thereof, is substantially overcome by the retention of the connector portions 22, 24 in close proximate relationship resulting from the latch-like interengagement of the tabs 34 and their mating apertures 30. Formed from the arcuate portion 24 and positioned generally intermediate the generally rigid protuberances 64 is an essentially arcuate, deflectably supported protuberance 66 having a generally central portion 68 bowing generally away from the arcuate portion 24 and forming an opening 70 therebetween. As the connector 20 is crimped about the insulated conductor 42, the central portion 68 of the protuberance 66 is caused to press against the adjacent surface of the conductor insulation 38, forcing the conductive material 40 against the piercing members 26, while the reactive force generated by the compressed, generally resilient insulation 38 tends to urge the protuberance central portion 68 back towards the adjacent surface of the arcuate portion 24, thereby decreasing the size of the opening 70. This effect may be advantageously employed to secure a further conductor such as 72 (FIG. 2) to connector 20 in a single crimping operation. This may be accomplished by baring one end of the conductor 72, as at 74, inserting said bared end 74 into the gap 70 prior to crimping the connector 20 about the insulated conductive material 42, and maintaining said relationship during the crimping operation. Where necessary or desirable, the coupling of the conductor 72 to the connector 20 may be accomplished in a separate operation by individually crimping the protuberance against the bared end 74 of conductor 72 prior to crimping the connector 20 about the insulated material 42. A plurality of such deflectable protuberances may be provided, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein four deflectable protuberances 76 are formed from suitable segments of the arcuate portion 78 of a connector 80, which further comprises two generally rigid protuberances 82 therewith. Any one or more of the protuberances 76 may be employed in a manner similar to that described above with respect to protuberances 66 (FIGS. 1 and 2), thereby providing multiple means for coupling further conductor wires 84, 86 to the connector 80. In FIGS. 3 and 4, two such further conductors 84, 86 are shown prior and subsequent to, respectively, their coupling to connector 80. An aperture 81 extending transversely through the arcuate portion 78 may be provided for receiving a bolt or other fastening means to attach the connector to a bus bar or the like.

Turning now to FIG. 6 there is shown a further embodiment of a connector 88 constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention and comprising a crimpable protrusion 90 extending outwardly from the base portion 92 of connector 88 to provide additional means for securing a further wire conductor thereto. Although an essentially U-shaped configuration of the wire receiving portion of protrusion 90 is shown, other commonly employed shapes such as a straight tab adapted to plug into a mating receptacle may be readily provided without departing from the spirit of the invention. A plurality of such protrusions 90 may be provided affixed to, or extending from either the connector base portion 92, the arcuate portion 94, or both, as necessary, desirable, or convenient.

To further enhance the electrical and mechanical coupling afforded by the connector of the instant invention, a plurality of generally arcuate deflectable protuberances 96 either formed from the base portion 92, or affixed thereto, may be provided, substantially as shown in FIG. 6, and essentially duplicative of elements 66 and 76 of FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively. Each of the protuberances 96 are provided with a plurality of piercing members 98 for engaging and penetrating the conductive material to which connector 88 is to be coupled. Although the remaining surface area of the base portion 92 is shown essentially devoid of piercing members such as those provided on the embodiments heretofore described, they may be added, if so desired, without affecting the use thereof and within the concepts herein disclosed. It will be further appreciated that, although, in each of the embodiments described above, the connector base portion has been shown as a substantially flat planar member, it may be convexedly bowed or arched in a manner similar to the configuration employed in the formation of the opposing arcuate portion, it being necessary merely to insure that the arc length between the point of communication of the base and arcuate portions of the connector and a locking tab such as 34 (FIG. 1) is different than the arc length between said point and an associated mating aperture, such as 30, wherein upon the interengagement of the tab and aperture, and the subsequent flattening of the connector portions, the tab is forcibly urged towards one or another of the walls of the aperture to effect the wed gin g and locking action heretofore described.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A connector for coupling fiat conductive material to a further conductive material comprising: a base portion; a generally deformable arcuate portion selectively spaced from and overlying said base portion and adapted for interengagement therewith; latch means comprising at least one tab and an associated mating aperture, each contiguous with an opposite one of said base portion and said arcuate portion; piercing means extending from one surface of said base portion and directed towards said arcuate portion for penetrating the conductive material; at least one generally arcuate protuberance flexibly hinged to said arcuate portion and selectively bowed away from the inner surface of said arcuate portion a predetermined distance towards said base portion to define a wire receiving opening between said arcuate protuberance and the inner surface of said arcuate portion; and pressure means extending from said arcuate portion for selectively urging a portion of flat conductive material interposed between said base portion and said arcuate portion against said piercing means, as said base portion and said arcuate portion are forcibly urged together.

2. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said pressure means comprises at least one protuberance extending generally normally from the inner surface of said arcuate portion and directed towards said base portion.

3. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means comprises at least two tabs and at least two associated mating apertures, each of at least one of said tabs and an associated one of said mating apertures being provided on an opposite one of said base portion and said arcuate portion.

4. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said arcuate portion is hingedly coupled to said base portion.

5. A connector as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means tab is coupled to said arcuate portion generally adjacent the free end thereof, and said associated mating aperture extends transversely through said base portion generally adjacent its free end.

6. A connector as defined in claim 5 wherein the lineal dimension between said latch means tab and the juncture of said arcuate portion and said base portion as measured along the arc defined by said arcuate portion is greater than the lineal dimensionbetween said associated mating aperture and said juncture.

7. A connector as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means tab is coupled to said base portion generally adjacent the free end of said base portion, and said associated mating aperture extends transversely through said arcuate portion generally adjacent its free end.

8. A connector as defined in claim 7 wherein the lineal dimension between said latch means tab and the juncture of said arcuate portion and said base portion is less than the lineal dimension between said associated mating aperture and said juncture as measured along the arc defined by said arcuate portion.

9. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means tab has at least one tapered surface.

10. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means tab has at least two tapered surfaces.

11. A connector as defined in claim .1 wherein at least a portion of at least one surface of said latch means tab is provided with a plurality of serrations thereon.

12. A connector as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one generally arcuate protuberance flexibly hinged to said base portion and selectively bowed away from the inner surface of said base portion a predetermined distance towards said arcuate portion to form a wire receiving opening between said protuberance and the inner surface of said base portion for receiving a conductive member therein. 

1. A connector for coupling flat conductive material to a further conductive material comprising: a base portion; a generally deformable arcuate portion selectively spaced from and overlying said base portion and adapted for interengagement therewith; latch means comprising at least one tab and an associated mating aperture, each contiguous with an opposite one of said base portion and said arcuate portion; piercing means extending from one surface of said base portion and directed towards said arcuate portion for penetrating the conductive material; at least one generally arcuate protuberance flexibly hinged to said arcuate portion and selectively bowed away from the inner surface of said arcuate portion a predetermined distance towards said base portion to define a wire receiving opening between said arcuate protuberance and the inner surface of said arcuate portion; and pressure means extending from said arcuate portion for selectively urging a portion of flat conductive material interposed between said base portion and said arcuate portion against said piercing means, as said base portion and said arcuate portion are forcibly urged together.
 2. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said pressure means comprises at least one protuberance extending generally normally from the inner surface of said arcuate portion and directed towards said base portion.
 3. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means comprises at least two tabs and at least two associated mating apertures, each of at least one of said tabs and an associated one of said mating apertures being provided on an opposite one of said base portion and said arcuate portion.
 4. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said arcuate portion is hingedly coupled to said base portion.
 5. A connector as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means tab is coupled to said arcuate portion generally adjacent the free end thereof, and said associated mating aperture extends transversely through said base portion generally adjacent its free end.
 6. A connector as defined in claim 5 wherein the lineal dimension between said latch means tab and the juncture of said arcuate portion and said base portion as measured along the arc defined by said arcuate portion is greater than the lineal dimension between said associated mating aperture and said juncture.
 7. A connector as defined in claim 4 wherein said latch means tab is coupled to said base portion generally adjacent the free end of said base portion, and said associated mating aperture extends transversely through said arcuate portion generally adjacent its free end.
 8. A connector as defined in claim 7 wherein the lineal dimension between said latch means tab and the juncture of said arcuate portion and said base portion is less than the lineal dimension between said associated mating aperture and said juncture as meAsured along the arc defined by said arcuate portion.
 9. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means tab has at least one tapered surface.
 10. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means tab has at least two tapered surfaces.
 11. A connector as defined in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of at least one surface of said latch means tab is provided with a plurality of serrations thereon.
 12. A connector as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one generally arcuate protuberance flexibly hinged to said base portion and selectively bowed away from the inner surface of said base portion a predetermined distance towards said arcuate portion to form a wire receiving opening between said protuberance and the inner surface of said base portion for receiving a conductive member therein. 